Iggy Azalea Sues Ex for Hacking Her Computer, Releasing Her Music Early

Amethyst Kelly (A.K.A. Iggy Azalea) is suing her ex-boyfriend in California federal court for allegedly stealing content from her computer during the time the couple lived together in Atlanta. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the ex, Maurice Williams ( “Jefe Wine”) downloaded the content of her personal computer while living in her Atlanta home. Their relationship began in 2008, when Azalea was only 17 years old and recording music out of a hotel in Houston, Texas. When the Australian native met the much older Williams, he claimed that he was a partner in an oil company (which later turned out to be a “Ponzi scheme” operation, according to Azalea’s attorneys). Eventually, Williams arranged for Azalea to live in an apartment in Houston, and then later followed her to Atlanta in 2009.

On July 24, 2014, a joint venture was announced, which included: Primco, ESMG, Top Sail and Wine Enterprises, Inc. The companies claimed that they had secured the right to release Inizio, an EP by Azalea. Williams was quoted during the press release as saying, “We believe the merger will be monumental because the projects that we have coming down the pipeline are going to shock the world!” As a result, Azalea’s complaint alleges the music Williams downloaded violated her copyright, trademark and her name and likeness. Additionally, Azalea alleges a conversion of stolen information derived from her computer. Outside of the allegations of stealing her unreleased music, the infamous tabloid “TMZ” fueled the fire when it said there was a sex tape being released by Williams, but there is no word of how Williams actually obtained this footage (if it even actually exists, and if it does, whether it’s really her in the video). Azalea’s complaint does not target this matter, but alleges that unauthorized promotional videos were released which included an impersonator of Azalea.

Williams was quoted by TMZ as saying that he has an agreement which gives him exclusive rights to, “manufacture, sell, distribute and advertise ‘any’ recording embodying visual images” of Azalea. This “agreement” stems from a management agreement Azalea signed with Kareem Chapman (introduced through Williams). Azalea’s complaint alleges that Williams kept her copy of the agreement. Azalea says that the supposed “agreement” is forged, containing everything from formatting to grammatical errors. The “agreement” purportedly included a signature line for “Wine Enterprises” instead of an authorized agent, and also included the contact information for an attorney who was unaware of the agreement ever being drafted. As a result, Azalea claims that Williams does not have legitimate rights to her music based on this document, and is asserting her copyrightable interests in the following tracks: “It Ain’t Tricking,” “U Ain’t My Daddy,” “Take My Picture,” “Red Bottoms,” “Supernova,” and “Miss International.” Finally, she is seeking declaration that neither Williams nor his affiliated companies be allowed to use her mark “Iggy Azalea,” and that they be prohibited from control or use of her name and likeness.

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